Re: MGM -> April 1972 videotape from "This Is Elvis"

The April 5, 1972 Buffalo footage we are discussing was shot by co-director Bob Abel (and another man) on Sony portable video cameras.

Abel returned Culver City, transferred the material to U-Matic (3/4 inch) tape and studied what was captured with Robert Thomas, director of photography on the documentary. They probably also met with the ten men hired to run cameras when MGM began to use film, beginning on April 9 at Hampton Roads (Mike Brown, Erik Daarstad, Stevan Larner, Michael Livesey, David Myers, Dick Pearce, Fritz Roland, Bert Spielvogel, David Stewart, Jim Wilson).

What deep fans all want to see is this April 5th video released (ideally) from the original Abel source tapes, or at least the U-Matic (3/4 inch) tape transfers.

Re: MGM -> April 1972 videotape from "This Is Elvis"

The April 5, 1972 Buffalo footage we are discussing was shot by co-director Bob Abel (and another man) on Sony portable video cameras.

Abel returned Culver City, transferred the material to U-Matic (3/4 inch) tape and studied what was captured with Robert Thomas, director of photography on the documentary. They probably also met with the ten men hired to run cameras when MGM began to use film, beginning on April 9 at Hampton Roads (Mike Brown, Erik Daarstad, Stevan Larner, Michael Livesey, David Myers, Dick Pearce, Fritz Roland, Bert Spielvogel, David Stewart, Jim Wilson).

What deep fans all want to see is this April 5th video released (ideally) from the original Abel source tapes, or at least the U-Matic (3/4 inch) tape transfers.

But the short clips seen in EOT and TIE don't look like video or video transfered to film. They look like film. They look comparable to the other "filmed" footage in EOT. The CBS "Elvis In Concert" footage in TIE is video transfered to film in the theatrical release and you could see how horrible that looked. Video does not transfer to film well. They used video cameras in Buffalo but they must have also used film cameras as well. Here is some of the Buffalo video and it looks like a different angle than the EOT/TIE clips to me.

Re: MGM -> April 1972 videotape from "This Is Elvis"

Tue Nov 20, 2012 12:00 pm

Abel returned Culver City, transferred the material to U-Matic (3/4 inch) tape and studied what was captured with Robert Thomas, director of photography on the documentary. They probably also met with the ten men hired to run cameras when MGM began to use film, beginning on April 9 at Hampton Roads (Mike Brown, Erik Daarstad, Stevan Larner, Michael Livesey, David Myers, Dick Pearce, Fritz Roland, Bert Spielvogel, David Stewart, Jim Wilson).

Doc, you make an interesting point, but raise a key question. We now know they were fliming backstage and on stage in Detroit the following date, so if Abel went back to Culver City, perhaps it was the second cameraman from Buffalo who went on with the tour to Detroit. Either way, we have substantial footage, flimed with the band in blue, and showing Elvis with a large scarf later in the show, plus a brief excerpt of backstage footage (Elvis in sunglasses) as seen in Star's version of CC RIder. In fact, When Elvis exits the stage after Burning Love in the actial movie, a snippet of footage from Detroit is seen.

Re: MGM -> April 1972 videotape from "This Is Elvis"

Tue Nov 20, 2012 11:20 pm

It would be nice to get all the documentation on MGM's camera work in April and August 1972. Then we could affix proper dates to examples like Detroit or Indianapolis. My guess is those snippets were from a small second unit pool of "incidental" footage that Abel and Adidge could use as they saw fit when cutting together the final product in the summer of 1972.

Re: MGM -> April 1972 videotape from "This Is Elvis"

Wed Nov 21, 2012 4:20 am

I'v got a longer version of that kiss from charlotte which was used in Elvis On Tour

It was on the outtakes dvd

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Re: MGM -> April 1972 videotape from "This Is Elvis"

Wed Nov 21, 2012 10:55 am

OnTourCam wrote:I'v got a longer version of that kiss from charlotte which was used in Elvis On Tour

It was on the outtakes dvd

i got that dvd to!, sadley theres not really much of it thou.

Re: MGM -> April 1972 videotape from "This Is Elvis"

Wed Nov 21, 2012 1:41 pm

do we know it's from charlotte can we go by police uniform ?

Re: MGM -> April 1972 videotape from "This Is Elvis"

Wed Nov 21, 2012 6:26 pm

But how was the Buffalo rehearsal filmed? Was that videotaped too?

Re: MGM -> April 1972 videotape from "This Is Elvis"

Thu Nov 22, 2012 12:50 am

Buffalo Rehearsals

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Re: MGM -> April 1972 videotape from "This Is Elvis"

Thu Nov 22, 2012 1:18 am

OnTourCam wrote:Buffalo Rehearsals

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Nice work. We may have identified the second Sony video cameraman on April 5th: Mike Brown. The other being, of course, Bob Abel.

Perhaps the entire day is videotape, not film. Again, documentation would be so helpful.

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Re: MGM -> April 1972 videotape from "This Is Elvis"

Thu Nov 22, 2012 9:40 am

drjohncarpenter wrote:

OnTourCam wrote:Buffalo Rehearsals

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Nice work. We may have identified the second Sony video cameraman on April 5th: Mike Brown. The other being, of course, Bob Abel.

Perhaps the entire day is videotape, not film. Again, documentation would be so helpful.

That may be the case, but this may be filmed. Some of the footage is used in EOT with good sound and it seems like the sound was recorded separately. The reason I assume this is that there is also silent footage from the outtakes. This would indicate film cameras. Also, as I remember it, in some of the outtakes Joe Esposito can be seen using one of the cameras and it was definately not a handheld video camera. I´m not sure if this was at this rehearsal though. I will watch the outtakes today. IF the film crew or parts of it was in Buffalo, it is possible that the whole or parts of the show was filmed. On the other hand they would have used more of it then, since the Buffalo show was the best on the tour according to some sources. That does not mean that the footage was the best since it may have been their first night of shooting him live. The filming had however began several days earlier on the "mock" recording session.

Re: MGM -> April 1972 videotape from "This Is Elvis"

Thu Nov 22, 2012 11:04 am

Vicky Cds from the 90s are of strong interest why you ask

all the audio from them cd's are actually the audio taken for sinc up for the footage

now i ask you this who transfered these and put them on the bootleg market ?

and did they have access to footage ?

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Re: MGM -> April 1972 videotape from "This Is Elvis"

Fri Nov 23, 2012 12:42 pm

Ok, now we know for sure that there were two cameras in Buffalo that day. Att least on the rehearsal and most likely on the show also. The audio from the rehearsals seems be either from the soundboard used at the rehearsal or from the microphone on the camera. Anyone with another idea?

Re: MGM -> April 1972 videotape from "This Is Elvis"

Fri Nov 23, 2012 3:58 pm

all the audio is taken for sinc up to cameras i told you

no clean soundboard feed has ever turned up not sure why

Re: MGM -> April 1972 videotape from "This Is Elvis"

Mon Nov 26, 2012 1:35 am

I have not heard the audio you are referring to. I wonder how it was recorded.

Re: MGM -> April 1972 videotape from "This Is Elvis"

Wed Dec 19, 2012 3:23 pm

Keep in mind also u matic tapes went for

Duration 1 hour

Re: MGM -> April 1972 videotape from "This Is Elvis"

Tue Jan 15, 2013 1:12 am

drjohncarpenter wrote:There has been some discussion of the legendary MGM videotaping of Elvis' opening show in Buffalo on April 5, 1972, as a template for the cameramen to study.

I wish he didn't do all that karate stuff on stage, kind of embarrassing.

Re: MGM -> April 1972 videotape from "This Is Elvis"

Tue Jan 15, 2013 12:49 pm

In the 1974 karate sequence appears Red West and Dave Hebler ( 2 of the 1977's bodyguard's book). I also don't like the karate posture from the Hampton Roads (during Suspicious Minds?), if I am correct of the city he performed.